Community programs to split $3M in federal grants
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By Louis Porter VERMONT PRESS BUREAU - Published: July 8, 2009
BARRE — A dairy plant in Brattleboro to a housing program in Central Vermont were among the agencies and organizations to get the official word Tuesday in Barre they will share a total of more than $3 million in community grants.
The federally funded Community Development Block Grants will go to a variety of downtown development projects, including the purchase and renovation of the former granite shed where the group of state and local development officials gathered Tuesday. The building, which will eventually have classrooms for training workers, is now the home of a building material and furniture store that is a collaboration between the ReStore and ReCycle North.
"It's about creating jobs at a time when they are all too scarce," Gov. James Douglas said.
Some of the smaller grants will go to planning projects, including $30,000 to Hartford for developing a plan to redevelop a part of Prospect Street in White River Junction, or the $24,900 to make Randolph's municipal building accessible for the disabled.
"It's a tremendous opportunity," said Joan Goldstein, the executive director of the Green Mountain Economic Development Corp. that is overseeing the White River Junction project. "It is right at the gateway of our town."
Larger grants were for building or renovating agriculture plants, like the $650,000 for Northern Enterprises in Hardwick to build a multipurpose food processing plant or for a new slaughterhouse facility in Westminster.
"This will really help our area," said Paul Harlow, the chairman of the Westminster Select Board, who also happens to be a vegetable farmer who also raises and sells organic meats. There is no slaughtering facility in the southern part of the state for farmers such as himself to take their animals to, Harlow said.
About $600,000 will go to the town of Brattleboro to be loaned to Commonwealth Yogurt to build a dairy processing facility.
"We looked all around the Northeast and we found the perfect place," said Dieter Dobousek of Commonwealth Yogurt.
Another $200,000 will go through the City of Montpelier to Home Share of Central Vermont, which matches up elderly homeowners who may be struggling with maintaining their houses with younger Vermonters who are looking for places to live.
Randolph received a second grant, this one for $590,000, to build a mixed-use development on a former industrial site.
"This is a brownfield redevelopment in our downtown," said Julie Iffland, of the Randolph Area Community Development Corp.
Barre and ReCycle North will get $294,820 for work on the building where the announcement was made.
The project "will keep all of the great features it has," Tom Longstreth of ReCycle North said. "A lot of the construction will be done by our youth building program."
After leaving Barre, Longstreth was headed to a less happy event — meeting with workers and managers of the Ethan Allen Furniture company in the Northeast Kingdom which is laying off many members of its work force, Douglas noted.
"The next stop isn't quite as pleasant a visit," the governor said.
louis.porter@rutlandherald.com
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